The seasonal fluctuations and accumulation of iodine-129 in relation to the hydrogeochemistry of the Wolf Creek Research Basin, a discontinuous permafrost watershed.
André Lalonde AMS Lab, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Ottawa, 25 Templeton St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada. Electronic address: mattherod@gmail.com.
The long lived radioisotope (129)I is a uranium fission product, and an environmental contaminant of the nuclear age. Consequently, it can trace anthropogenic releases of (129)I in watersheds, and has been identified as a potential means to distinguish water sources in discharge (Nimz, 1998). The purpose of this work was to identify the sources and mass input of (129)I and trace the transport, partitioning and mass balance of (129)I over time in a remote watershed. We monitored (129)I and other geochemical and isotope tracers (e.g. d(14)CDIC, d(13)CDIC, d(2)H, d(18)O, etc.) in precipitation and discharge from the Wolf Creek Research Basin (WCRB), a discontinuous permafrost watershed in the Yukon Territory, Canada, and evaluated the use of (129)I as a water end-member tracer. Radiocarbon and geochemical tracers of weathering show that discharge is comprised of (i) groundwater baseflow that has recharged under open system conditions, (ii) spring freshet meltwater that has derived solutes through closed-system interaction with saturated soils, and (iii) active layer drainage. The abundance of (129)I and the (129)I/(127)I ratio correlated with geochemical tracers suggests varying contributions of these three water end-members to discharge. The (129)I concentration was highest at the onset of freshet, reaching 17.4×10(6) atoms/L, and likely reflects the lack of interaction between meltwater and organic matter at that time. This peak in (129)I was followed by a decline over the summer to its lowest value. Mass balance calculations of the (129)I budget show that the input to the watershed via precipitation is nearly one order of magnitude higher than the output suggesting that such arctic watersheds accumulate nearly 90% of the annual input, primarily in soil organic matter. Temporal variations in discharge (129)I concentrations correlated with changes in discharge water sources suggesting that (129)I is a promising hydrologic tracer, particularly when used in concert with other stable and radioisotopes.
Arctic and sub-arctic watersheds are undergoing significant changes due to recent climate warming and degrading permafrost, engendering enhanced monitoring of arctic rivers. Smaller catchments provide understanding of discharge, solute flux and groundwater recharge at the process level that contributes to an understanding of how larger arctic watersheds are responding to climate change. The North Klondike River, located in west central Yukon, is a sub-alpine permafrost catchment, which maintains an active hydrological monitoring station with a record of >40 years. In addition to being able to monitor intra-annual variability, this data set allows for more complex analysis of streamflow records. Streamflow data, geochemistry and stable isotope data for 2014 show a groundwater-dominated system, predominantly recharged during periods of snowmelt. Radiocarbon is shown to be a valuable tracer of soil zone recharge processes and carbon sources. Winter groundwater baseflow contributes 20 % of total annual discharge, and accounts for up to 50 % of total river discharge during the spring and summer months. Although total stream discharge remains unchanged, mean annual groundwater baseflow has increased over the 40-year monitoring period. Wavelet analysis reveals a catchment that responds to El Niño and longer solar cycles, as well as climatic shifts such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Dedicated to Professor Peter Fritz on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
Pages 575-578 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Global eHealth Research and Training Program, Health Innovation and Information Technology (HiTEC), Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
Department of Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Source
Pages 575-578 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Objectives: To review experience from a recently established and successful thematic research network and to speculate on the potential value of a similar approach to more rapidly accumulate evidence and move forward implementation of eHealth solutions in the pan-Arctic setting.
Study design: Retrospective review of (1) documents describing the genesis, deployment and performance of the Pan Asian Collaborative for Evidence-based eHealth Adoption and Application (PANACeA), and (2) the eHealth publication record of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health (ICJH) from 1998 to 2008.
Methods: The consultant's report, first-year technical reports and interim presentations on PANACeA progress were reviewed, and key information that illustrated the progress and performance (challenges and successes) in planning, initiating and implementing this research network was extracted. In addition, the number of eHealth-related articles published in the IJCH over a 20-year period was enumerated.
Results: The findings demonstrate that the thematic research network approach has value. Placed in the context of the relevance of eHealth to the Arctic, research into eHealth adoption and application as well as the evidence of sparse publication of eHealth activities in the circumpolar region, a similar approach focusing on northern circumpolar eHealth research could prove valuable.
Conclusions: It is recommended that consideration be given to creation of a pan-Arctic collaborative for eHealth research in the northern circumpolar region.
Page 528 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
York University, Arctic Health Research Network - NT
Source
Page 528 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 47 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 47 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Pages 67-71 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Canada
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, Canada
Source
Pages 67-71 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to try to answer the following questions: Is the term "structural violence" appropriate to describe the health outcomes of the housing provided to Inuit in the 1950s and 1960s? Does it have contemporary relevance? What role has human rights discourse played, and what role can it play in drawing attention to contemporary problems of health and housing?
Study design: An examination and critical reading of archival records from Library and Archives Canada, dealing with a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Eskimo Point (Arviat), NWT, in 1962-1963,was undertaken.
Methods: Theoretical ideas from political economy, psychohistory and Paul Farmer's concept of structural violence were employed in examining the historical record. The text uses quotes from physicians and officials of the Northern Administration to reveal the values and assumptions underlying health and housing policies.
Results: This TB epidemic resulted in the evacuation to southern sanatoria of over 30% of the Inuit population. The letters and other documents produced by public health officials and the Northern Administration of the Canadian government reveal that health officials fought a battle to improve housing and public health conditions, countered by the liberal ideology of Northern Administration officials. The TB epidemic and associated costs ultimately forced the design of a housing policy based on need rather than ability to pay.
Conclusions: Public health events most often have structural origins and the term "structural violence" is appropriate in describing them. Human rights discourse needs to be applied in addressing public health problems in Aboriginal and other communities.
Page 48 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
Source
Page 48 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 81 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 81 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 228 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Page 228 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
